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Slight bump: The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose by 2.2 points in October to 93.7. This is the 34th consecutive month below the 50-year average of 98. The Uncertainty Index rose seven points to 110, the highest reading recorded. A seasonally adjusted net negative 20% of small business owners reported higher nominal sales in the past three months, the lowest reading since July 2020.
Sitting idle: Central Mayor Wade Evans has reportedly offered to take over maintenance of the BREC parks within Central. Evans aired his frustrations regarding the parish parks system to WBRZ-TV, noting that the nature center at the Frenchtown Conservation Area has sat idle for more than a year after it was completed. The building was substantially completed and passed final inspections in summer 2022, with the exception of a few outstanding items to release the certificate of occupancy. BREC told the broadcast station that it could have an update on the project in the next six weeks. Read more from WBRZ-TV.
Prices dip: Online grocery prices declined in October from a year earlier, the first such drop since the arrival of COVID more than four years ago. Food costs fell 0.1% from the same period of 2023, according to data from Adobe that’s based on about 1 trillion visits to retail sites and more than 100 million products purchased. Read more from Bloomberg. A subscription may be required.
